2 Contrasting Days at Blacks Creek

Briana, Colin, Jaiden, Eric, and I all set out for our first day of work at Blacks Creek on July 2^nd. Briana, Jaiden, and Eric had been with the program previously, but Colin and I had never worked with Save the Harbor/Save the Bay. Personally, I was completely unsure what to expect, and this made me nervous. All I knew is that our kids would be between 6/7 years old and that we would be outside trying to catch creatures on the shore. Now that I have completed two full days, I know what to expect and feel significantly more confident in my position at the Lead Harbor Explorer. The first and second days at Blacks Creek could not have been more different from each other, in more ways than one. The days mostly differed in weather and activities. The weather on the first day was absolutely gorgeous. It was mid 80s with a breeze and very low humidity. The second day was mid-90s, no breeze, and high humidity. This difference in weather definitely affected how the children interacted with their environment. The hotter it was outside, the more the kids wanted to be in the water. I believe this is because the water was cool and this encouraged exploration. The weather was not the only factor that affected how the children interacted with their environment. The activities played a big role, too. On our first day, we did not set a crab trap. The kids just used nets, shovels, and plastic tools to look for crabs and fish. The kids also worked together to create a tide pool. After a while, however, the kids wanted to do something different because they were not having much luck with catching creatures. We ended up playing GaGa ball on the field behind the beach. GaGa Ball was a fun choice. The kids had a blast – and a few of the staff, too!

The second day we set up the crab trap and prayed we would catch at least one or two crabs. We got 28 in total!!!! The kids loved seeing how many crabs we caught. They all wanted to touch them but were afraid to. After talking with them about how to properly hold a crab and why maintaining crab safety is important for both the human and crab, they could not keep away from the crabs. We even had a crab race to conclude our first session, and it was a hit! While it was an extremely hot day, the kids had a blast!

I really enjoyed the second day. While the first day was very cool and comfortable, not much happened and I went home feeling a bit disappointed we did not find any crabs or cool fish. On the second day, however, I went home excited to tell my friends and family about the crabs we caught. I had never picked up a crab until my second day at Blacks Creek (July 3rd), and I was hesitant to do so. It was more important to me that I set a good example for the kids and show them there is nothing to be scared of if they hold the crabs properly. At first I was squeamish but with each crab I picked up, my fear of them decreased. I noticed some of the kids experienced this, too. There is a lot about the ocean and its creatures we do not know about, but this program is helping myself and the kids in surrounding communities to challenge our fears and discover excitement and adventure.  

Crab Race on July 3rd

Bucket of Crabs on July 3rd

Until next time,
Ellen